Shelbyrae Black is a candidate for the vacant Long Beach City Council District 1 seat scheduled to be filled on November 5th. Ask Ms. Black why she is running in a crowded field and she’ll answer it’s because she wants to improve the everyday lives of her Long Beach neighbors. According to Black, it would…
Elliot Gonzales is seeking to fill the vacant seat on the Long Beach City Council for District 1. Gonzales is a local environmental activist with Stop Fracking Long Beach. He is also a member of several progressive organizations including the Progressive Democrats of America, DSA Long Beach, and Our Revolution. Elliot Gonzales wants to fight…
Mariela Salgado is one of eight candidates competing for the November 5th special election for the District One council seat vacated by Lena Gonzalez. Mariela Salgado started her career by working for a community-based non-profit organization. She managed and developed business assistance programs, organizational partnerships, and small business clients. When asked why she’s running for…
This profile on Long Beach Entrepreneur and active community member Servando Orozco is the first in a series exploring the successes of immigrants in Long Beach. Immigrant Success is a collaborative podcast project between Long Beach Post and PalacioMagazine.com. Servando Orozco is a longtime active member of the community. He owns three auto repair shops in…
Vivian Malauulu is the President of the Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees and also represent Area 2 in the city. The journey to the Board of Trustees and her leadership of it has been shaped by strong life experiences. Born Vivian Ramirez impoverished in a barrio in Honduras, the then seven-year-old child…
Alfredo Velasco is President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Long Beach. Velasco heads an organization that, according to the organization’s website, encompasses a service area with a population of nearly 850-thousand people, six branches, numerous childcare sites, as well as a number of other facilities. It is an organization that he knows well….
Ray Morquecho is a candidate for the vacant Long Beach First District City Council seat vacated by Lena Gonzalez. Ask him why he’s running in a crowded field and his answer is simple: from an early age, he learned to speak up. “My mother told me that when I was 5 or 6, I saw…
Silissa Uriarte Smith is the Executive Director of Power 4 Youth, a nonprofit that provides one-on-one academic mentoring to middle and high school students from throughout the Long Beach area. Close to 500 vulnerable, at-risk, primarily low-income students have had their lives impacted through Power 4 Youth’s program. Born and raised in Orange County, Silissa…
Reverend Leon Wood is a founder and President of Success in Challenges, a non-profit grass-roots social service agency largely serving the greater Long Beach Community. At various times in his life, he has been and still is a Minister, Educator, and Activist. Reverend Wood has a long list of life experiences that have served as…
Mary Zendejas is an announced candidate for the vacant District 1 City Council seat. Ms. Zendejas is the founder of Professional Abilities Association of America, an organization created for working professionals with disabilities and is a Board Director for Long Beach Transit. Mary Zendejas speaks candidly about being stricken with polio as an infant in…